Purple Travel

[October 27 2017]

Holi and Lath Mar Holi festival in Mathura, India

Holi is a spring hindu festival celebrated in India in which everyone throws brightly coloured powder and liquid paint on each other to celebrate. It’s also known as the “festival of colours”. We were lucky enough to celebrate Holi in Mathura, which is the birth-place of Lord Krishna. According to the legend, Lord Krishna was concerned about Radha being of a lighter complexion to him, so his mother advised him to go to her and apply colours. As Lord Krishna and his friends went to Radha‘s village to apply colour to Radha and to the other women there, the Gopis used to beat them with sticks in a playful manner. The tradition continues until this day and is celebrated as the Lathmar Holi, in which women come through the streets with sticks and chase after the men and playfully beat them.